Later Westward Expansion

Trying to Get BIGGER!– Americans continue

to settle to the West– Homestead Act• Americans

continue to farm land• Spread out• Including African

Americans

American Indians

• American Indians had always been buffalo hunters– Millions of buffalo on Great plains– Indians continued to move to find food– Indians used every part of the buffalo.

• Meat – food• Animal skins – clothes and teepees• Bones – weapons and tools

– Americans killed buffalo for sport• Very offensive to Indians who saw that as

not taking care of nature

Indians’ Trail of Tears• BIG TROUBLES– Americans started to

settle land in the west– Battles started to

occur• Many Indians were

killed– American Indians

forced onto reservations by U.S.

– Trail of Tears• So many died, thus

named “Trail of Tears”• 4,000 of 15,000

Cherokees died on the journey

Better Communication• Such a big

country – but how to travel and communicate?– Pony Express

• Mail by fast horseback lasted many months, until…

– Transcontinental Telegraph• System of dots and

dashes sounds that translated into the alphabet– Morse Code

Better Transportation• The Railroad is “a

comin’”– Railroads needed to

take Americans to the West faster• Many in the east but

few in the west– Many worked on the

railroad• African Americans,

Mexican Americans• Chinese Immigrants,

Irish Immigrants• Built through tall Rocky

Mountains– Work was hazardous

and dangerous– Many were killed

Transcontinental RailroadUnion Pacific Railroad

started in East– Omaha Nebraska

• Central Pacific Railroad started in West– Sacramento California

• Both lines connected at Promontory Point, Utah– A spike made of gold

connected them– Completed May 1869

• People could travel between the eastern states and California

“Enough is Enough”• Indians upset because they were

forced onto reservations –Many rebelled

• The Black Hills were seen as sacred– Americans built railroad through Indians’

land– Indians started to fight back

Custer’s Last Stand• American soldiers sent to

take care of Indian rebellion– They would not move onto a

reservation• Battle of Little Bighorn

– General George Custer underestimated the strength of Indians• Split his troops into separate

groups• Did not bring Gatling guns• Made it easy for the Indians

to pick off each group– Indians defeat 265 soldiers,

including Custer

Wounded Knee Creek Fiasco

• U.S. Calvary demanded Indians give up all their weapons– Indians laid weapons before

them– Calvary still doesn’t believe

• Start going through Indians’ tents and belongings

• Someone fired a shot• Battle ensues

• Aftermath– 300 Native Americans killed by

U.S. soldiers, many defenseless women and children

Review

• Describe how the Native Americans were treated by Americans during the era of westward expansion.

• What would be one way for the U.S. government to make up for what they did to the Native Americans?